Ben Shelton came back from one set down to beat Kamil Majchrzak 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 7-6 (9-7) in the first round of the Swiss Indoor in Basel. Shelton won his first match since the US Open. The US player withdrew during the third round match against Adrian Mannarino at the US Open due to a left shoulder injury.
Shelton returned to the ATP Tour in Shanghai, where he lost to David Goffin in the first round.
Both players held on serve in the first set with no breaks of serve en route to the tie-break. Shelton saved three break points at 5-5 and went up 0-30 on Majchrzak’s serve when he was leading 6-5.
Majchrzak earned three mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-2. Shelton lost of the 13 points in the opening set.
Shelton received a medical time-out for blisters but he did not face a break point and broke twice in the first and eighth games to win the second set 6-3.
The third set went on serve en route to the tie-break. Shelton saved two match points in the tie-break of third-set at 4-6, when Majchrzak missed a volley long. Shelton won the final four points to win the tie-break 9-7 on his second match point after 2 hours and 43 minutes. The US player improved his seasonal record to 38 wins to 19 unforced errors.
Ben Shelton: “It was such tight margins. He had the match on his racquet and then I had it on mine,” Shelton said. “Early in a tournament, on a court as fast as this, you are going to see a lot of matches of fine margins and you need to stay there mentally and stay tough and I did a great job of that.
Joao Fonseca, last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals winner, beat defending champion Giovanni Mpetch Perricard 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 to become the youngest match winner at the Swiss Indoors in Basel.
Fonseca won 72% of his net points. The Brazilian player won his first ATP Tour title in Buenos Aires and holds a record of 22 wins to 15 defeats.
Both players went on serve in the first set en route to the tie-break. Fonseca earned three set points at 6-3. Mpetchi Perricard pulled back on serve, but Fonseca earned his third mini-break to win the tie-break 8-6.
Fonseca converted his second break point and held serve in the third game at deuce to take a 3-0 lead. The Brazilian player held on his serve to seal the win on his third match point.
Marin Cilic edged past David Goffin 7-6 (11-9) 7-5 to reach the second round. Cilic and Goffin have drawn to 5-5 in their head-to-head matches. Cilic will face either Felix Auger Aliassime or Gabriel Diallo.
Stan Wawrinka beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1 7-6 (7-3). The Swiss player will face either Casper Ruud or Quentin Halys. Wawrinka broke twice in the fourth and sixth games to win the first set 6-1. Kecmanovic broke in the second game to open up a 3-0 lead. Wawrinka converted his third break-back point in the seventh game and held serve at 15 in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Wawrinka earned his first mini-break to take a 2-0 lead. Kecmanovic pulled back on serve to draw level to 2-2. Wawrinka won five of the next six points to seal the tie-break 7-3.
